1 Elisha answered, “Listen to what the Lord says! By this time tomorrow you will be able to buy in Samaria ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley for one piece of silver.”
2 The personal attendant of the king said to Elisha, “That can't happen—not even if the Lord himself were to send grain at once!”
“You will see it happen, but you won't get to eat any of the food,” Elisha replied.
The Syrian Army Leaves
3 Four men who were suffering from a dreaded skin disease were outside the gates of Samaria, and they said to each other, “Why should we wait here until we die? 4 It's no use going into the city, because we would starve to death in there; but if we stay here, we'll die also. So let's go to the Syrian camp; the worst they can do is kill us, but maybe they will spare our lives.” 5 So, as it began to get dark, they went to the Syrian camp, but when they reached it, no one was there. 6 The Lord had made the Syrians hear what sounded like the advance of a large army with horses and chariots, and the Syrians thought that the king of Israel had hired Hittite and Egyptian kings and their armies to attack them. 7 So that evening the Syrians had fled for their lives, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys, and leaving the camp just as it was.
8 When the four men reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent, ate and drank what was there, grabbed the silver, gold, and clothing they found, and went off and hid them; then they returned, entered another tent, and did the same thing. 9 But then they said to each other, “We shouldn't be doing this! We have good news, and we shouldn't keep it to ourselves. If we wait until morning to tell it, we are sure to be punished. Let's go right now and tell the king's officers!” 10 So they left the Syrian camp, went back to Samaria, and called out to the guards at the gates: “We went to the Syrian camp and didn't see or hear anybody; the horses and donkeys have not been untied, and the tents are just as the Syrians left them.”
11 The guards announced the news, and it was reported in the palace. 12 It was still night, but the king got out of bed and said to his officials, “I'll tell you what the Syrians are planning! They know about the famine here, so they have left their camp to go and hide in the countryside. They think that we will leave the city to find food, and then they will take us alive and capture the city.”
13 One of his officials said, “The people here in the city are doomed anyway, like those that have already died. So let's send some men with five of the horses that are left, so that we can find out what has happened.” 14 They chose some men, and the king sent them in two chariots with instructions to go and find out what had happened to the Syrian army. 15 The men went as far as the Jordan, and all along the road they saw the clothes and equipment that the Syrians had abandoned as they fled. Then they returned and reported to the king. 16 The people of Samaria rushed out and looted the Syrian camp. And as the Lord had said, ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley were sold for one piece of silver.
17 It so happened that the king of Israel had put the city gate under the command of the officer who was his personal attendant. The officer was trampled to death there by the people and died, as Elisha had predicted when the king went to see him. 18 Elisha had told the king that by that time the following day ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley would be sold in Samaria for one piece of silver, 19 to which the officer had answered, “That can't happen—not even if the Lord himself were to send grain at once!” And Elisha had replied, “You will see it happen, but you won't get to eat any of the food.” 20 And that is just what happened to him—he died, trampled to death by the people at the city gate.
1 Tad Elīsa sacīja: "Klausaities Tā Kunga vārdu! Tā saka Tas Kungs: rītdien ap šo laiku Samarijas vārtos mērs smalku kviešu miltu maksās vienu seķeli, bet divi mēri miežu arī vienu seķeli." 2 Tad tas virsnieks, uz kura rokas ķēniņš atbalstījās, atbildēja Dieva vīram un sacīja: "Un, ja arī Tas Kungs debesīs taisītu logus, vai tas tā varētu notikt?" Bet Elīsa atbildēja: "Redzi, tu pats savām acīm to redzēsi, bet tu no tā nebaudīsi!" 3 Un četri spitālīgi vīri bija pie ieejas vārtos, un tie cits citam sacīja: "Kādēļ mums šeit nīkt, tiekāms mirstam? 4 Ja mēs domājam iet uz pilsētu, tad pilsētā ir bads, un tur taču mēs mirsim, un, ja mēs paliekam tepat, tad arī mēs mirsim. Tāpēc nāciet, iesim aramiešu nometnē. Ja tie mūs atstās dzīvus, tad dzīvosim, bet, ja tie mūs nonāvēs, tad mirsim!" 5 Un pievakares krēslā tie cēlās, lai dotos uz aramiešu nometni. Kad viņi nonāca līdz aramiešu nometnes malai, tad redzi, tur nebija neviena cilvēka, 6 jo Tas Kungs bija licis aramiešiem viņu nometnē sadzirdēt lielu troksni no ratiem, no zirgiem, no liela karaspēka, tā ka tie cits citam sacīja: "Redzi, Israēla ķēniņš ir pret mums salīdzis gan hetiešu ķēniņus, gan ēģiptiešu ķēniņus, lai tie mums uzbrūk." 7 Un tie mijkrēslī bija cēlušies un metušies bēgt, pamezdami savas teltis, savus zirgus, savus ēzeļus, nometni, kā stāvēja, jo tie bija bēguši, lai glābtos. 8 Kad šie spitālīgie vīri nonāca pie nometnes malas un iegāja vienā teltī, tad tie ēda un dzēra un ņēma no turienes sudrabu, zeltu, drēbes, un tie aizgāja un to paslēpa; tad tie atkal nāca un gāja citā teltī un ņēma arī no turienes mantas un tās paslēpa. 9 Tad tie cits citam sacīja: "Tā nav pareizi, kā mēs rīkojamies! Šī diena ir labās vēsts diena, bet, ja mēs klusēsim un paliksim mierā līdz rīta ausmai, tad mēs kļūsim vainīgi. Tādēļ tagad nāciet, dosimies ceļā un paziņosim to ķēniņa namam." 10 Un viņi nāca un sauca pilsētas vārtu sargiem, un padeva tiem ziņu, sacīdami: "Mēs nonācām aramiešu nometnē, un redzi, tur nebija neviena cilvēka un nebija arī dzirdama cilvēka balss, vienīgi tur bija piesieti zirgi un ēzeļi un teltis stāvēja, kā stāvējušas." 11 Tad vārtu sargi izkliedza šo ziņu pilsētā un aiznesa šo vēsti ķēniņa pilī. 12 Tad ķēniņš cēlās naktī un sacīja saviem kalpiem: "Es jums teikšu, kā aramieši grib ar mums izrīkoties! Viņi zina, ka mēs esam badā, tāpēc tie ir izgājuši no nometnes ārā, lai kaut kur apkārtnē paslēptos, domādami: ja tie no pilsētas iznāks ārā, tad mēs tos sagūstīsim dzīvus, bet paši ielauzīsimies pilsētā." 13 Tad kāds no viņa kalpiem atbildēja un sacīja: "Ņemsim tos piecus atlikušos zirgus, kuri vēl pilsētā ir palikuši, jo redzi, tiem jau ir tāds pats liktenis, kāds ir tam lielam Israēla pulkam, kas vēl ir atlicies kopā ar mums pilsētā, un tāds pats, kāds tam lielajam Israēla pulkam, kas ir gājis bojā; izsūtīsim tos izlūkos un tad redzēsim." 14 Tad tie ņēma divus ratus ar zirgiem, un ķēniņš tos sūtīja aramiešu karapulkiem pakaļ un deva pavēli: "Ejiet un raugiet!" 15 Kad tie viņiem sekoja līdz Jordānai, tad redzi, viss ceļš bija pilns drēbju un ieroču, kurus aramieši bija nometuši, lielā steigā bēgdami. Kad vēstneši bija atgriezušies atpakaļ un ķēniņam to paziņoja, 16 tad tauta izgāja ārā no pilsētas, un tie izlaupīja aramiešu nometni; un nu mērs smalku kviešu miltu tiešām maksāja vienu seķeli un divi mēri miežu arī bija pērkami par vienu seķeli, kā Tas Kungs to bija sacījis. 17 Bet ķēniņš bija iecēlis to virsnieku, uz kura rokas tas bija atbalstījies, par pārraugu pie vārtiem; bet tauta to vārtos samina, ka tas nomira, kā Dieva vīrs bija ķēniņam sacījis, kad tas nonāca pie viņa lejā. 18 Jo tas tiešām tā notika, kā Dieva vīrs bija ķēniņam sacījis: "Rītdien ap šo laiku Samarijas vārtos divi mēri miežu maksās vienu seķeli un viens mērs smalku kviešu miltu arī maksās vienu seķeli." 19 Tad tas virsnieks bija atbildējis Dieva vīram un bija teicis: "Un redzi, ja Tas Kungs debesīs taisītu logus, vai tas tā varētu notikt?" Bet tas bija atbildējis: "Redzi, tu pats savām acīm to skatīsi, bet tu no tā gan nebaudīsi!" 20 Un tā patiešām arī viņam notika, jo tauta to samina vārtos, ka viņš nomira.
